When beginning to plan a Walt Disney World vacation, the emails, the mailings…all of those things can get overwhelming. I’m a little bit obsessive about ensuring I have all of the information at my fingertips to ensure we aren’t missing anything about or for the trip. Use these Walt Disney World Vacation tips to answer how to plan a Disney World vacation.
How to Plan a Disney World Vacation
Take Advantage of My Disney Experience App
This fairly new feature Disney has provided is a wonderful tool. A sure-fire way to better organize Disney World vacations. The My Disney Experience app downloads onto your phone. It lets you keep things organized virtually. I used to be big on the folder full of reservations numbers, dining confirmations, etc.
Now, I have it all right at my fingertips! Plus, I can easily change and make dining reservations right from the app. You can even make reminder notes for yourself. “Hurrah” for upgrading to no more paperwork in my luggage! A great feature when planning a first trip to Disney World too.
Do You Have a List?
My biggest thing is creating lists. I even created a Simple Packing List for Walt Disney World to share. Keeping lists of everything you will need each day will ensure you don’t forget anything. While Disney World does have gift shops to purchase things like sunscreen and toothbrushes, these items are more expensive at these shops. This is how to plan a Disney World vacation and not forget anything.
What Are We Doing There?
I do enjoy “going with the flow” at Disney World, however; I will keep a loose itinerary before we leave. This way we can plan to be in certain parks for dining reservations. Especially if we don’t have a Park Hopper plan.
I’ve seen plenty of people color code itineraries and laminate down to the second at Disney. While I don’t recommend going that far, a little bit of planning can go a long way. I find sometimes if you overdo plan, the trip goes by all too quickly.
Let Someone Else Find the Deals
Authorized Disney Vacation Planners are fantastic. They do everything in their power to find you the best deals and keep finding you the best deals even after booking. I recommend checking out Get Away Today Vacations to lock in your vacation for only $125 down (prices subject to change)!
Disney Shopping
If you haven’t checked out the Shop Disney Parks app, you should. You can shop virtually anywhere in and outside of the Disney Parks. You can even scan the barcode of items in the park and purchase them on the app to be sent to your resort hotel or ship them home. You can also search for any items on the app to ship home or to resort hotel as well. Such an awesome piece of magic!
Disney Dining Plans
180 days in advanced is the most recent magic number to booking your Walt Disney World dining. Things go QUICK! I may sound nuts, but staying up until midnight to your 180-day mark might be an option if you’re dying to eat somewhere. Been there! Let me clarify that this is more of a joke. I’ve spent all-nighters trying to book Be Our Guest when the lunch reservations first came out. It worked, but not a sure fire way to get anything. Simply the rumor mill of Disney communities.
In all seriousness though, you can call 407-WDW-DINE (3463) to book your dining reservations starting at 7 am ET on the 180-day mark. Booking online (6 am ET opening) is another option or using My Disney Experience app when you’re pulling the all-nighter on the West Coast.
Strollers
Need a stroller while in the Park? Disney has that covered too. Click here for more info on their stroller rentals and even their featured providers! We ended up renting an extra stroller our last day there. We bought an umbrella stroller for our toddler, but our preschooler needed the break by the end.
These tips on how to plan a Disney World vacation will hopefully create a more relaxed vacation for you. The My Disney Experience app, Disney World packing list are really going to make things easier.